


When Three isn't a Crowd

by Magical_Persona



Category: Ranger's Apprentice - John Flanagan
Genre: F/M, M/M, Pauline duLacy/Halt O'Carrick/Crowley Meratyn, Polyamory
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-27
Updated: 2019-04-29
Packaged: 2020-02-07 05:51:56
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,046
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18614449
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Magical_Persona/pseuds/Magical_Persona
Summary: Pauline knows Halt and Crowley have been in love for a while. She and Halt have been married for two years and she decides to have a conversation with two most important men in her life.





	1. Chapter 1

Pauline found it difficult to keep as smile from her face as she watched the two Ranger's across the table. Crowley was visiting from Araluen for a few days and Pauline wouldn't have missed a moment like this for the world. She was on a secret mission on her own. The courier had a suspicion that Halt still held feelings for the Ranger Commander. It wasn't something she minded per say. It was just something she wanted to know.

She knew Crowley had pushed aside his feelings for both her and Halt when the two married. Pauline's curiosity had been piqued since Halt told her he and Crowley had been together. She knew both Crowley and Halt had flirted with her in their younger years. The real question was what the two Ranger's currently playing keep away with the honey jar would think of her idea.

Halt reached for the honey jar in Crowley's hand. He missed, being slightly shorter than his friend, but their hands brushed. The touch lingered just slightly longer than was normal before the two went back to their childish game. All you had to do was get the two of them away from people and they were like kids again.

"I'd like the honey," Halt's voice was low, but his eyes were glittering with fading amusement.

Crowley knew he could get one more jab in before he'd have to give the jar back. He had to make it a good one. "I don't know. Maybe the married life is too good to you. I think you've got a bit of a belly now." Crowley then poked the grizzled Ranger's stomach.

His hand lingered just a fraction of a second as he placed the jar on the table. Just when he thought he was over his emotions his hands had to betray him. He kept his expression teasing as he patted Halt's back.

"If anyone's getting fat it's you," Halt replied, straight faced.

"It does tend to happen when I can't get seem to rid my desk of paperwork." Crowley agreed. "You know, there's always room for someone else to do paperwork. You could even be stationed here in Redmont. We'll send most of mail your way and I can catch a break."

Halt gave a humorless laugh as he stirred a fair dollop of honey into his coffee. "Never."

"I doubt you want Halt helping you with paperwork," Pauline's gentle voice broke through the friendly dispute. "I'm not sure Halt has the...aptitude for words you need for that position."

Halt sipped his coffee quietly. If they wanted to work together that was fine. He'd get his chance to return the favor.

Crowley leaned back in his chair, his hand reached in Halt's direction for a moment before Crowley grabbed the edge of his cloak. It had only been two years since Pauline and Halt had been married. The Ranger Commander was finding that old habits do indeed die hard.

It really hadn't been terribly long ago that he and Halt could share hidden touches and not worry about getting caught. They were Ranger's after all. Not getting caught was their specialty. Now it wasn't something they wanted to do. Crowley couldn't do anything that might come between his friends. He was okay with this. He had to be.

"Crowley?" Pauline's voice cut through his thoughts like a knife. "Halt. I have an important question to ask each of you and I need both of you to answer honestly." If they didn't she'd know anyway, but she was doing her best not to give the two Ranger's a way out. They had a way of working their way around words.

The Rangers were suddenly at attention. Both looking a bit off put by Pauline's sudden use of what Halt called her "work voice."

"Do the two of you have feelings for each other?" The question was asked with no malice, no malcontempt, just curiosity.

The silence at the table was now deafening. Both Rangers were clearly uncomfortable, though Halt showed it more. Whether that was because Crowley was trained in diplomatic situations or because Pauline simply knew Halt's tells she wasn't sure. Her husband clasped his hands on the table before unclasping and placing them flat on the wooden surface. Yes. Halt was becoming increasingly uncomfortable with this silence.

Crowley, for his part, looked to be thinking. "Did Halt tell you about our past or was that something you dug up with your personal skills?"

Pauline smiled brightly. "Some might consider those to be the same thing." After a beat she continued. "Halt was kind enough to inform me."

Crowley risked a glance at Halt. The man was trying too hard to sink into his cloak. The green would do him no good among the light colors of Pauline's room. Crowley wondered if the woman had done that on purpose or if it was happenstance.

"Halt," Pauline's voice was gentle as she reached across the table, taking his hands. "No matter what you say. It won't change how I feel."

Halt's heart floundered for a moment, but he couldn't speak. Why, of all the moments to get cold feet, it was this one? It wasn't like Pauline and Crowley were here to stab him in the back. These were his closest friends. Probably the only ones he had. Thankfully, Crowley found the courage to speak first.

"Halt and I had something many years ago," Crowley said, his eyes never broke contact with Pauline's. The other two had worked with Crowley long enough to know he was choosing his words carefully. "I still care for him, but I would never take away what the two of you have."

"If I remember correctly," and she did. "You and Halt were vying for my affection when we were younger."

Crowley bowed his head. He wasn't sure where this was going. For now he was pretty sure if he held a steady tone and told the truth he'd be okay. "We were. Though, Halt seems to have won that particular battle. The two of you are truly meant for each other. You've helped him become much less," Crowley paused as he searched for the right word. "Gruff."

Pauline laughed. It was a musical sound that made both the men relax. So far they hadn't crossed into dangerous territory. Neither of them knew where this conversation was headed, but they trusted Pauline. She'd given her word their responses wouldn't change the way she felt. Well, about Halt at least. Crowley was okay with that. He was certain he and Pauline could repair a relationship damaged by a few words. If it came to that.

"Do you still feel that way?" Pauline asked.

"That you and Halt were meant for each other?" Crowley asked, knowing full well that wasn't what the lady was talking about. "Of course."

Pauline rolled her eyes and turned her attention to Halt. She could let Crowley off the hook for now. He had answered most of her questions. She'd come back to the last one.

"Do you still have feelings for Crowley?" Her thumbs gently stroked then back of Halt's hands. She knew he needed someone to let him know he wouldn't be abandoned. Pauline knew of Halt's past. She imagined being attracted to someone who wasn't the opposite gender my have its problems in the ruling class. Here, he didn't need to worry about that.

"Yes," that one word was like a weight off his chest. He felt like he could breathe again. "I've loved Crowley for a long time, but I love you too. I'll never stop loving you. You're an amazing woman with a wit as sharp as an arrow."

"Your feelings for Crowley," Pauline steered him back to the subject she wanted to discuss. "Have your feelings for him changed?" Once again her tone was steady curiosity. There was no ulterior motive.

Halt's lips twitched into a slight frown. She couldn't ask him that when Crowley was sitting right there! It has been hard enough to confess the first time and now his wife was asking him to do it again.

"No," Halt's voice was low, but steady. "My feelings haven't changed." 

He wasn't sure what he had expected Pauline's reaction to be, but the gentle smile was far from expected. When she turned back to Halt his brows were furrowed in thought. He wasn't sure where Pauline was going with this, but by now he knew there was an end goal.

"Crowley," she turned that same soft look upon him. "Do you still harbor feelings for me?"

It was asked so plainly that Crowley's thoughts stumbled and his heart stuttered. How could he not? Pauline was beautiful. She was as graceful as they came, like a flower. Plus, she has no qualms about putting high and mighty nobles in their place. She was as amazing as they came.

"Yes, but as I-" Crowley paused when Pauline held up a hand.

"You don't want to come between Halt and I. Yet the three of us share a strong bond that we all now know goes further than simply friendship," Pauline glanced between the two of them to see if anything was clicking. When neither responded she continued. "Have either of you heard of Polyamory?"

Something akin to recognition dawned on Halt's face. He could vaguely recall the term, but he couldn't connect the definition. 

Crowley, on the other hand was slowly shaking his head.

"It's a relationship style that involves more than two people," Pauline explained. She wasn't surprised neither of them knew the term. She had come across it on a mission many years ago. "It's fairly common among the working classes of other kingdoms." She looked at Halt. "I thought we might be able to open our relationship up to Crowley," she looked at the other Ranger. "And both of you of course have the option to say no. My goal was simply to bring a solution to a possible dilema."

The two Rangers looked at each other. Once again awed by Pauline's knowledge and skill. Not everyone could get Halt to talk about his feelings.

"If you'll have me," Crowley replied with a tilt of his head.

Something passed between Halt and Pauline for a moment. A conversation involving only eyes and then Pauline smiled.

Crowley could have sworn time froze as Halt cupped his cheek. Their lips brushed and the two senior Rangers shared a kiss that had been too long in the making. Crowley had almost forgotten what it was like to kiss Halt. To feel all of his attention pulled to the man in front of him.

 

That night the three of them piled into the large bed. Sleeping arrangements were a little cramped, but it was the most comfortable Halt had been in a while. As the smaller of three he was securely snuggled between the other two. At some point in the night he woke to Pauline gently kissing his forehead.

"This probably isn't what you expected from our marriage," he said quietly, burying his face into her shoulder.

"I'm not complaining," Pauline whispered, wrapping one arm under him and the other above Crowley. "If I wanted a normal marriage I wouldn't have married you."


	2. Chapter 2

Pauline sat with her hands folded in her lap. The shimmering purple dress fell over her shoulders like the high quality silk it mimicked. The dress was graceful, though it showed little of her natural beauty. Most of that was hidden behind layer upon layer of ruffled fabric. Why nobles enjoyed such things she'd never understand.

She was in conversation with another lady seated at the table. She and the nobleman beside her were sitting somewhere near the center of the table. Which surrounded her with lords, ladies, and knights. Pauline raised a graceful hand to her lips, covering them as she responded to a joke with a high-pitched hyena laugh.

"Lady Winthrop," the man seated at the head of the table, Lord Trystan, drew Pauline from her original conversation. "How are things in the north? It has become terribly difficult to get word through. With the snow and these bandits," he shook his head. "We rarely hear from you."

"Bandits?" Pauline asked, mimicking the shocked gasp of the Lady Winthrop.

"Nothing more than lowlife peasants with nothing better to do," the Lord assured her. "Nothing to concern yourself with." Then he smiled. "It was kind of you to make the trip to join us."

Pauline opened her mouth to speak, but this time the man beside her spoke before she had a chance.

"We find the north a rather boring place with precious little entertainment," the Lord Winthrop beside her wore layers of silks and other pricy materials. The main colors were varying shades of purple with a collar and sleeves accented in gold and silver. "You will find little more than snow and rock. Why you should have seen my wife," he gestured to Pauline, "startle when we came across a rabbit for the first time in your great land."

Pauline allowed herself a moment to be impressed. Crowley mimicked the odd, overbearing and slightly slurred speech of Lord Winthrop incredibly well. Especially for someone who, only two days before, had been afraid to speak over her. Clearly, once he was in the moment Crowley had few problems.

"I have to admit, being south is preferable to our own landscape. Here there's little worry of frostbite from opening a window." Crowley continued adding a laugh at the end that hung in the air.

The dinner conversation carried on like that for a while. Pauline would only be able to get one or two words in while Crowley was eating. Even then, he ate quickly, in order to interrupt her before she had finished her statement. Pauline wasn't sure how the real Lady Winthrop put up with this behavior. Even now she was starting to get frustrated with how little she was able to speak.

After dinner there were, of course, formal dances that had to be attended. Crowley was a pretty good dancer Pauline noted with the hint of a smile. It was barely noticeable that he hadn't grown up in the courts of nobility. She followed him easily as they weaved through and around the other couples.

Seeing the way Crowley looked at her, his true self seeping through the facade, made her heart flutter. Crowley was a good man who had spent years building walls between his two friends and his feelings. Now that they had begun taking those walls down he showed his love more easily. Pauline could see it now, as they danced. His bright eyes were filled with love and admiration. Dancing with Crowley made her feel young again.

Despite how much Pauline enjoyed gazing into Crowley's eyes like they were lovestruck apprentices, she was grateful when the music ended. The two of them made their way back to their chambers for the night. Once the door closed behind them the two began changing from their stuffy clothes to something more comfortable. The person's they had carried through the day fell away with each article of clothing they replaced.

Pauline had finished changing before Crowley and sat amused as the Ranger tried to rid himself of the padded clothing. Crowley's clothing had been padded in places to hide the weight difference between the lithe ranger and overweight Lord Winthrop.

"If I'm condemned to these clothes forever I think I'll throw myself into a moat," the Ranger grumbled.

"Would you like some help?" Pauline asked, hints of laughter in her voice.

Crowley let out on last annoyed huff. "Yes. These are impossible. How do people even wear this?"

Pauline stepped up behind the Ranger, easily helping him out of the constricting clothing. Once Crowley was free he immediately changed into the plain looking ranger clothes. He looked much more comfortable as he stretched, cracking his elbows in the process.

"Thank you. It's so much nicer to be free of that," he glowered at the pile of clothes. "Mess." Satisfied the pile understood his contempt Crowley turned to Pauline. "Are you alright?"

Pauline had to admit she wasn't sure where this question had come from. "Is something supposed to be wrong?"

"Well, no," Crowley replied, suddenly hesitant. "I wanted to check on you. I know Lord Winthrop has little respect for women and their opinions. I was worried you might feel slighted or believe I have the same opinions."

Pauline's look of confusion softened to a smile. She had been worried when Arald suggested she bring Crowley. While she trusted the Ranger Commander with her life she had no way of knowing how well he could pick up or drop a persona. It could be mentally taxing for a good many people. Now, she saw there had been no need for worry. Of course Crowley's main concern would be her well being. She felt guilty for doubting the man.

The courier closed the distance between them, pulling the man into a hug. "I'm alright. I'm actually quite impressed."

Crowley went red from the compliment and affection. It had only been a few months since he had joined Pauline and Halt's relationship. Having Pauline's affection directed at him as well as being able to return it was still so new. It had once been a fantasy of his younger years and now it was a reality.

"I'm glad," that easy smile Pauline had fallen for gracing his features once more.

Pauline brushed her thumb against the corner of Crowley's lips. Ever so gently she placed a soft kiss on those smiling lips. She was content to let Crowley set the pace of their relationship. She'd seen how easily he slipped back into a relationship with Halt. She also saw how he walked on eggshells around her, like he wasn't sure what to do with himself. For a split second nothing happened, then Crowley deepened their kiss.

When they pulled away, Pauline was once again met with that easy smile. She used to swear that smile would get her in trouble one day. Turns out, it simply made life more enjoyable, for both her and Halt. That damn smile was something else.


End file.
